MLB Player News

Gittens will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The operation will sideline Gittens "for a while," per Astros manager Joe Espada. Gittens is in camp as a non-roster invitee and injured the knee on the first swing he took in Grapefruit League play.

Sano said Sunday that he's lost 58 pounds in an effort to stay healthy, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Sano had some visa issues that delayed his arrival at camp, but he reported Sunday and turned heads with his weight loss. The veteran is trying to get his career back on track after not catching on with any team last season and playing in just 20 big-league games in 2022. The Angels signed Sano to a minor-league deal in January with the hope that he can return to the level of production that led to 30-plus homers in both 2019 and 2021 while he was with the Twins.

Casas (illness) will return to Red Sox camp Wednesday, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Casas has been away for a few days while battling the flu, although he was still taking some swings on his own. It will be a few days before the young first baseman is cleared to return to Grapefruit League contests, but he's on the mend.

Gittens has been sent to Houston to have his right knee injury examined, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

The Astros believe Gittens could be dealing with a meniscus or patella injury but will know more after the test results are in. Gittens is in camp as a non-roster invitee, and any chance he might have had to make the Opening Day roster probably just went out the window.

White has been cleared to resume limited activities Monday after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired left hip Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

White -- who hasn't appeared in a major-league game since 2021 -- had surgery on the hip last May. The first baseman was acquired from Atlanta via trade earlier this offseason and is in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Kirilloff went 1-for-3 in Sunday's spring training loss to Boston as he looks fully healthy after offseason shoulder surgery. "He's in a lot better shape than we originally thought he was going to be in when the offseason started," manager Rocco Badelli stated, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic.

Despite surgery in October to repair the labrum in his right shoulder, Kirilloff has played in the first two spring training games, which is a sign the team is confident in his health. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told The Athletic that he doesn't view first base as a strict platoon since Carlos Santana is a switch hitter, meaning both could be in a lineup against righties. However, Kirilloff would likely play more DH in that scenario with Santana seen as the better glove at first base. It's still not clear how much Kirilloff will play against left-handed pitching or if he'll be used in the outfield.

Casas is dealing with the flu Sunday and will be away from Boston's facilities for a few days, Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald reports.

Casas will sit out for a few spring training games while recovering from the flu. The left-handed batter showed improvement in his second year of the majors and finished the 2023 season slashing .263/.367/.490 with 24 home runs, 65 RBI and 70 walks in 502 plate appearances.

Guzman (visa issues) reported to the Orioles' camp Sunday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Guzman was absent for the start of camp due to visa issues but didn't end up missing significant time. The first baseman-turned-pitcher signed with the Orioles on a minor-league deal in January and is all but guaranteed to begin the season in the minors given his lack of pitching experience.

Pasquantino (shoulder) is starting at first base and batting second in Friday's Cactus League game against the Rangers.

The 26-year-old underwent season-ending shoulder surgery last June but is ready to go to kick off the spring schedule. Pasquantino posted an .833 OPS in 72 contests as a rookie in 2022, but the shoulder injury limited him to just 61 games last season.

Manzardo seems likely to begin the season with Triple-A Columbus, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic reports.

Josh Naylor is slated to be the Guardians' primary first baseman, but Manzardo seemingly could receive plenty of starts between designated hitter and first base. However, it would appear Cleveland is leaning toward sending the 23-year-old back to Columbus initially. Manzardo is coming off a relatively disappointing season in the minors, although he finished strongly at Columbus (.938 OPS) after arriving via trade from the Rays and carried that over into the Arizona Fall League (.905 OPS). Guardians officials have reiterated how difficult it is to hit in Cleveland in April and how that can hurt the confidence of a young hitter. Perhaps that's factoring into the front office's thinking regarding where Manzardo will begin the season.